Help with seatbelt tension cable

[wjbell]

When recently working on my seats I noticed a cable with a clip on it disconnected. I pulled on it and it's the tention cable for the seat belt. Can anyone verify where it connects to? I figured I'd look at the passenger side to see where it goes but that one's off too. The clip is #1 in the pic and it looks like it mounts to #2 with a pin of somthing. Can anyone look under their seat and check? TIA.

http://www.belletc.net/bmw/seatcable.jpg

[RobPatt]

...a small metal pin of which the head is only slightly larger than the stout body.... wish I could be of more help... perhaps can find another way to securre the two together though.... cheers, Rob sends....

[wjbell]

Wow, that was quick, thanks!

I kinda thought that was it. My only problem with that is the cable spool is connected to the floor, and the mounting point is connected to the seat bottom. So sliding the seat forward or backward changes the tension on the cable. There must be a reason for variable tension on it or else why have a cable at all? Why not just spring load the seatbelt internally?

[JD525IA]

as the seat is moved forward or backward.

Just pull on the cable hard and check out where the belt comes out of the door pillar. You'll see it going up and down. I guess it helps position the shoulder part of the seatbelt in the safest height for various sized people.

JD

[ryan roopnarine]

be sure to be careful with it while it is still connected to the seat. i tried to manuver my seat with it still connected and the plastic tab broke at the floor, my seatbelt just sits at the lowest possible height now.

[zman-95-540i]

same thing happened to me. broke off and now the height doesn't adjust.

[wjbell]

So I guess it's a plastic connector that attaches it? That's probably what happened to mine, they got old and brittle and broke.

Well I just went to the hardware store and picked up a nut-bolt-sleave-thing and a plastic spacer. It's not the OEM clip but works well, is hidden and probably wont break again.

http://www.belletc.net/bmw/seatcablefix.jpg

[Russell]

nice solution. Even so, I think the connector is some sort of over engineered metal clip. At laest it is on my 95. Perhaps the PO just disconnected it when he removed the seat as they can be a bit of pain to disconnect and reconnect.